Mixer assembly for gas turbine engine combustor

Abstract

A mixer assembly having a plurality of mixer vanes, each of the plurality of mixer vanes having a first end, a second end, and a body portion extending between the first end and the second end, the body portion having a length, a width, a thickness, a cross-sectional area, a curvature, and a twist, wherein each of the plurality of mixer vanes has a 3-dimensional shape defined by the length, width, thickness, cross-sectional area, curvature, and twist of the body portion, and wherein at least one of the plurality of mixer vanes has a non-uniform 3-dimensional shape.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A mixer assembly, comprising:
 a plurality of mixer vanes, each of the plurality of mixer vanes having a first end, a second end, and a body portion extending between the first end and the second end, the body portion having a length, a width, a thickness, a cross-sectional area, a curvature, and a twist; 
 wherein each of the plurality of mixer vanes has a three-dimensional shape defined by the length, the width, the thickness, the cross-sectional area, the curvature, and the twist of the body portion; and 
 wherein at least one of the plurality of mixer vanes has a non-uniform three-dimensional shape from the first end to the second end such that at least one of the width, the thickness, the cross-sectional area, the curvature, or the twist of the body portion varies between the first and the second end, and 
 wherein the plurality of mixer vanes are joined at their respective first ends to a first annular ring and are joined at their respective second ends to a second annular ring. 
 
     
     
       2. The mixer assembly of  claim 1 , wherein all of the mixer vanes in the mixer assembly have the same non-uniform three-dimensional shape. 
     
     
       3. The mixer assembly of  claim 1 , wherein at least two of the plurality of mixer vanes in the mixer assembly have the same non-uniform three-dimensional shape. 
     
     
       4. The mixer assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of mixer vanes are evenly spaced around the mixer assembly. 
     
     
       5. The mixer assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first annular ring and the second annular ring are concentric. 
     
     
       6. The mixer assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first annular ring and the second annular ring have the same diameter. 
     
     
       7. The mixer assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first annular ring has a smaller diameter than the second annular ring. 
     
     
       8. The mixer assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the non-uniform three-dimensional shape is a twist for imparting different degrees of swirl at different axial locations. 
     
     
       9. The mixer assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of mixer vanes has multiple zones with different three-dimensional shapes. 
     
     
       10. A fuel nozzle assembly comprising:
 an annular pilot fuel injector defining a nozzle axis and an axial direction, a radial direction normal to the axial direction, and a circumferential direction normal to both the axial direction and the radial direction and extending around a circumference of the annular pilot fuel injector, the annular pilot fuel injector further having a plurality of primary mixer vanes circumferentially distributed about the nozzle axis and a plurality of secondary mixer vanes located radially outwardly of the primary mixer vanes; and 
 an annular main fuel injector surrounding and concentric with the annular pilot fuel injector and having a plurality of main mixer vanes circumferentially distributed about the nozzle axis; and 
 each of the plurality of primary mixer vanes, the plurality of secondary mixer vanes, and the plurality of main mixer vanes having a first end, a second end, and a body portion extending between the first end and the second end, the body portion having a length, a width, a thickness, a cross-sectional area, a curvature, and a twist; 
 wherein each of the plurality of primary mixer vanes, the plurality of secondary mixer vanes, and the plurality of main mixer vanes has a three-dimensional shape defined by the length, the width, the thickness, the cross-sectional area, the curvature, and the twist of the body portion; and 
 wherein at least one of the plurality of primary mixer vanes, the plurality of secondary mixer vanes, or the plurality of main mixer vanes has a non-uniform three-dimensional shape from the first end to the second end such that at least one of the width, the thickness, the cross-sectional area, the curvature, or the twist of the body portion varies between the first and the second end. 
 
     
     
       11. The fuel nozzle assembly of  claim 10 , wherein both the plurality of primary mixer vanes and the plurality of secondary mixer vanes have the non-uniform three-dimensional shape. 
     
     
       12. The fuel nozzle assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of primary mixer vanes imparts a different degree of swirl than the plurality of secondary mixer vanes. 
     
     
       13. The fuel nozzle assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of primary mixer vanes or the plurality of secondary mixer vanes have multiple zones in the axial direction with different three-dimensional shapes. 
     
     
       14. The fuel nozzle assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the multiple zones are two zones. 
     
     
       15. The fuel nozzle assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the multiple zones are three zones. 
     
     
       16. The fuel nozzle assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the non-uniform three-dimensional shape in the axial direction is a twist for imparting different degrees of swirl at different axial locations. 
     
     
       17. The fuel nozzle assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the non-uniform three-dimensional shape defines a helical edge profile in the axial direction. 
     
     
       18. The fuel nozzle assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the non-uniform three-dimensional shape is non-uniform in the axial direction. 
     
     
       19. The fuel nozzle assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the non-uniform three-dimensional shape is non-uniform in the radial direction.